Lucien's body trembled like a leaf in a storm. This wasn't just any monster—it was a 'named' creature, the Dungeon Boss itself. Behind him lurked another Red Wolf, far stronger than any he'd faced before.
Trapped. No options left. Nothing he could do.
Tears threatened to spill, but surrender never crossed his mind. He refused to lose, refused to embrace defeat.
He was no loser. He couldn't waste this chance—this wild, terrifying experience of standing against such a mighty enemy.
Maybe that's why his body shook so violently. Cornered, outmatched, death creeping closer. Yet he didn't want to lose. No path forward, but still he hesitated.
His pulse hammered as adrenaline flooded his veins. Fear of failure mixed with a strange thrill—not of dying, but of the fight itself.
White Steel loomed above him, its gaze dripping with contempt. This wasn't just a predator eyeing prey. The creature looked at Lucien with pure disgust, as if he were nothing more than dirt beneath its paws.
Behind him, the other Red Wolf—Steel Fang, as Lucien had named it—growled low and threatening.
White Steel's eyes began to glow with an eerie light. Something deep in Lucien's gut screamed danger. He threw himself sideways, lunging away from the path.
But the Boss Monster moved like lightning—too fast, impossibly fast. It shot forward, jaws stretching wide, razor-sharp fangs tearing through flesh and bone.
Blood erupted like a broken dam, painting the air crimson as agony crashed over Lucien in waves.
[You have lost 321 Health Points]
[You have lost 219 Health Points]
[You have entered a stunned state for three seconds]
[You have entered Bleeding state]
[You will continually receive damages and lose Health Points while in Bleeding state]
The world went blank. His mind reeled, his body screamed. The pain felt too real, too sharp for any game.
[You have lost 34 Health Points]
[You have lost 22 Health Points]
Quickly, he pressed his remaining hand against the bloody stump, fighting to stem the flow.
White Steel stood there with Lucien's severed hand between its teeth. It fixed him with that same dark, mocking stare, eyes burning with malice.
Lucien clenched his jaw. That look—like he was nothing, like he was far beneath this creature's notice—made his blood boil.
Crimson drops fell from his wound, each one hitting the ground with a soft patter. His face had turned ghostly pale from blood loss.
He had to stop the bleeding completely. Fighting like this would be nearly impossible.
The Boss Monster had leaped to the other side, leaving the path ahead clear. Lucien didn't waste a second.
He shot forward, sprinting through the opening.
White Steel didn't follow. Instead, Steel Fang gave chase, its paws thundering against the ground. Within moments, it ran alongside him, snapping its steel-like fangs at him repeatedly, hungry for more flesh.
Each time those jaws snapped shut, Lucien either leaped away or pushed himself faster.
He dumped all his remaining stat points into Agility and suddenly burst forward like a rocket, finally crashing through a wooden door that opened into a vast hall.
The ceiling stretched impossibly high above him, and glass chandeliers hung down like hundreds of thousands of frozen teardrops caught mid-fall.
Lucien rolled across the floor as he tumbled inside, then scrambled to his feet behind a marble pillar.
Dozens of pillars filled the hall, transforming the space into a stone forest where shadows danced between the columns.
As the Wolf paws echoed closer Lucien slipped behind a pillar and crouched low, waiting. The Forsaken Sword was gone—torn away with his severed hand when the Boss Monster had struck.
But he wasn't helpless. Far from it.
Lucien melted into the pillar's shadow, watching as the wolf padded into the hall and began its hunt. The search wouldn't last long, though.
Steel Fang lifted its nose and sniffed the air. Immediately, Lucien sparked a fireball to life and hurled it in the opposite direction. Flames crashed against something in the distance, and the wolf's head snapped toward the sound. It bolted toward the distraction.
'Perfect.'
Lucien pressed his palm flat, fingers straight like a blade, and shot forward. Before Steel Fang realized death was rushing toward it, the strike landed. Lucien's hand slammed into the beast's skull, tearing a wide gash that sent blood spraying upward.
One of Steel Fang's eyes was already ruined from their earlier fight. Now Lucien aimed for the other.
As the wolf staggered, he drove his straightened fingers straight into its remaining eye. The beast released a wild, piercing yelp.
Steel Fang stumbled backward, blind and disoriented.
In that moment, Lucien grabbed the creature and pressed his palm against its fur. A mad gleam flickered in his eyes.
"Fuse."
[You want to fuse with a sentient being Elite Red Wolf Lv.45?]
[This could cause uncertainties? Penalties? This has never been done before.]
The system's voice wavered, almost sounding flustered.
Lucien pinned the weakened wolf to the ground with all his strength.
"Just do it!"
[Fusing with Elite Red Wolf Lv.45 will cost you 10,000 Fusion Points]
[If you wish to continue without extra available Fusion Points, all Fusion Points from your levels will be deducted. You will lose eight levels and stat points.]
Lucien's jaw tightened.
He'd suspected this might happen. Instead of normal Experience Points like other games, Evolution Online used Evolution Points. When players wanted to evolve, the price was brutal. It was entirely possible to burn through all accumulated Evolution Points—and lose levels and stats in the process.
A crazy rule, but it struck a harsh balance. Lucien would lose his levels and stats, but he'd gain the power of a level 45 monster.
Somehow, he'd be able to face that level 50 Boss. The system wouldn't let him keep his levels and fuse with such a powerful creature—that would be broken.
His resolve hardened like steel.
"Fuse."
Light poured from Lucien's palm, flowing into the monster. Steel Fang lay bleeding in a growing pool, already weakened. Even its struggles were feeble now.
The light consumed the wolf and began breaking it apart. As the fragments scattered into the air like dying embers, Lucien slowly rose to his feet. Deep in his eyes, a red glow began to smolder.